Blazers halt Lakers' win streak

In a quiet gym Friday morning at the team's practice facility, Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan huddled his team and delivered a pointed and urgent message about the final 24 games of the season.

"This is the time," McMillan told the Blazers. "Let's go for it."

Twelve hours later, in a soldout Rose Garden arena that reached the highest decibels in years, the Blazers took McMillan's challenge to heart and started what they hope is a charge toward the playoffs, beating the streaking Los Angeles Lakers 119-111.

Playing with a full roster for the first time in a month -- Brandon Roy and James Jones returned to action -- the Blazers from top to bottom played one of their finest games of the season.

Every Blazers player did what he is known for: Jarrett Jack penetrated his way to 21 points and 10 assists. Roy controlled the pace of the game, finishing with 20 points and a career-high 12 assists. Jones hit both of his three-point attempts and drew a savvy fourth quarter charge. LaMarcus Aldridge blended an inside game with his outside shot, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds.

And there was Joel Przybilla, grabbing 12 rebounds and pushing aside Kobe Bryant, inciting a double-technical, and Travis Outlaw hit jumper after jumper, finishing with 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting. And who can forget Steve Blake, who hit five three-pointers in the first half to help give the Blazers a season-high 64 points at intermission?

The style of play -- the ball was moving, the defense active and the shots falling -- prompted McMillan to say it reminded him of the Blazers team that ran off 13 consecutive wins in December.

"It felt the same," McMillan said.

It was, quite simply, the game of the season, entertaining and well-played from start to finish, and complete with some tempers and sharp words, which combined with a roaring Rose Garden, created a playoff atmosphere.

"This was a good win for us for a number of reasons," McMillan said. "We have been going through rough times, but we got everybody back and we played well. This should give us some confidence, because now they know we are capable of playing this style."

The playoffs are still a distant dream -- the Blazers (31-28) trail Golden State by five games for the eighth and final playoff spot -- but this was a start. Exactly what McMillan had envisioned when he gave his morning speech.

"We all sensed it, but Coach felt he had to say it," Roy said of McMillan's message. "He said this is the time of the year we need to make a push. We may not win every game, but we definitely have to leave it all out on the floor from here on out. Because we are five, six games out. He said 'Let's make a push tonight', and we did a good job of that."

What seemed to buoy the coaching staff and players after the game was how well the Blazers played and kept their poise against a Lakers team that is clearly firing on all cylinders. The Lakers (41-18) had won 10 in a row and 13 of 14, and they played like the team holding the Western Conference's best record.

Bryant had 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but he was also pressured into six turnovers, as Roy, Jack and Outlaw took turns bumping and tugging at the Most Valuable Player candidate all game. And if Bryant wasn't doing his thing -- he had several acrobatic shots -- the Lakers' role players were stepping up to hit big shot after big shot. Lamar Odom had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Luke Walton 17 points and seven rebounds and Pau Gasol 15 points and nine rebounds.

The game was decided in the final 5:30. With the score tied at 100, Aldridge followed an Outlaw miss with an emphatic, one-handed rebound dunk that took the breath away from the crowd all three times it was shown on the replay screen.

After the Lakers tied it, Jones gave the Blazers the lead for good when he hit a three-point in front of the Blazers bench. From there, Roy hit a jumper, two free throws, and Outlaw made a jumper following a Bryant turnover, and the Garden was rocking and the Blazers feeling like they were back in the race.

"We felt good today, I felt good that everyone was back," Roy said. "It was like - 'Let's make a push' -- and coach told us to just go out there and play. We didn't worry about turnovers or things like that, it was like everybody went out and played free."

Notes: The Blazers are now 23-12 when Jones plays ... The 119 points were a season high for the Blazers ... Jack's 22 points were a season high ... In Tuesday's loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, the Blazers' bench was outscored 41-8. On Friday, the Blazers bench outscored the Lakers reserves 47-23 ... The Blazers have won five in a row over the Lakers in the Rose Garden.